What's appropriate development for 71 Hopewell?

For over a century, a small yellow clapboard house has sat on a large lot at 71 Hopewell. But a developer plans to tear down the 3 bedroom house and replace it with three, three-story townhomes.

That plan hasn't gone over well with the community in Old Ottawa South. At the city's planning and development committee on Tuesday, neighbours argued that the development was too big and not in keeping with the character of the neighbourhood. And the committee has sent the plan back to the city's planning department to see if changes could be made to the design.

Michael Polowin is the lawyer representing the developers (M.L. Marino Construction). He spoke to us about how, in his opinion, the developers are just playing by the rules set out by the City.

What do you think? How much say should a neighbourhood get when it comes to development? And how do you decide what's appropriate and what's not?